Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 349 Why is there more?

"Oh, this vegetable is so delicious in winter, and it's not much worse than seasonal ones."

A group of people were watching the vegetables brought back by the carriage. Wang Xifeng, who was not far away from Beijing East, hurried over to see what was said.

"Everyone make way, the Second Madam is coming." Ping'er shouted crisply, and the crowd immediately made way for her.

Wang Xifeng stepped forward and saw clearly that it was Zhang San who was escorting two carts of vegetables in. She knew that this man was Jia Lian's confidant, so she said very politely, "Uncle Zhang San, what do you mean?"

Zhang San hurried forward and saluted: "To reply to Second Madam, this is what Second Master asked to be sent back!"

Nowadays, there is a tacit understanding among the servants in Rongguo Mansion that whenever they mention Second Master or Second Madam, they are referring to Jia Lian and his wife.

Other people, such as Bao Erye, need to add multiple labels.

"Send it to the kitchen first, and Laiwang's family should follow you. Don't let the people in the kitchen waste too much food. It's not easy to get these vegetables in the middle of winter." Wang Xifeng gave the instructions and raised her chin up, like a hen that had just laid an egg.

In Lady Jia's courtyard, Mrs. Wang was talking to Lady Jia: "My sister wants to send Baochai to Beijing to participate in the election. The letter said that she will leave in the first month of the year. Although the Xue family has a mansion, the daughter-in-law still wants to take my sister to live with us for a while."

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "We are family, why should we be polite? Rongguo Mansion has no shortage of courtyards. Just tell Feng girl later."

As they were talking, Wang Xifeng turned around the screen and entered the courtyard. She walked quickly across the courtyard, climbed the steps and passed the threshold: "The old ancestor and the second aunt are here. It's a good time to talk about good things."

Not calling her aunt was naturally because she was following Jia Lian's way of addressing her, to show respect for her husband.

"What good news! I didn't even hear the magpie's call when I got up early!" Grandmother Jia joked as usual, and Mrs. Wang pricked up her ears.

"The old man was very mischievous and loved to tease people. It wasn't a big deal. Brother Lian just brought back two truckloads of vegetables, more than 2,000 kilograms, so we won't be short of fresh vegetables to eat during the New Year."

Wang Xifeng proudly announced the answer, and Grandmother Jia was stunned. It was impossible. When the Duke was alive, the palace would at most reward 20 kilograms, and there has been no reward in recent years.

Grandmother Jia stood up tremblingly, supported herself on the cane and asked, "Is it a reward from the palace?"

Mrs. Wang also stood up and said, "It's impossible, right? When the father-in-law was here, he never rewarded 2,000 kilograms." She was really worried about the reward from the palace. This favor was too low-key. Was it to pull back all the vegetable roots grown on the warm kangs in the palace? Although the second house could no longer compete with the first house, the better Jia Lian was doing, the more uncomfortable she felt. Yuanchun's belly was not good enough, so how could she give birth to a princess?
"Hey, it wasn't a reward from the palace. Brother Lian got it back from somewhere. Zhang San doesn't know either." Wang Xifeng explained proudly, while someone next to her said, "Second Madam, a few months ago I heard that the Second Master asked the craftsmen to build a greenhouse in the farm west of the city. Maybe it was grown there."

Wang Xifeng was surprised, "Isn't it the housekeeper Lai who is in charge of all the things outside? How come you don't even know about it?"

Lai Dajia was startled and waved his hands quickly: "Second Master has asked the guards to take over the manor, who dares to ask any more questions. Now outsiders are not allowed to enter the manor, and those who go out need the guard's permission."

Everyone knew the truth. Grandmother Jia felt a little regretful. If it was a reward from the palace, it would be great. It meant that Jia Lian was favored, and Yuanchun in the palace would also benefit from it. Mrs. Wang was relieved. She was already under pressure from the first wife, and it was unbearable to be hit like this again. She could only pray that Yuanchun would be pregnant and give birth to a prince quickly, so that the second wife could turn the tables.

Jia Lian was unaware of the excitement at home. After presiding over the harvest of vegetables, he had one cart sent to the East Palace. As for the last cart left, he personally escorted it to the Lin Mansion. The next time he would harvest vegetables would be after the New Year.

Don’t expect to make a lot of money from vegetables this year. Wait until next year to expand the planting area and make a lot of money.

Jia Lian did not treat the servants and farmers badly. Although there were no fresh vegetables, each family had a generous amount of New Year's goods. Each person received two taels of silver, five catties of pork, one zhang of cloth, one catty of sesame oil, one catty of salt, and two taels of tea. Because it was based on the number of hairs, no matter if they were boys or girls, even babies, they all got a share. Naturally, everyone was happy. Jia Yun was in charge of the New Year's goods, bypassing Lai Da.

When the Lin family saw the vegetables sent by Jia Lian, they were naturally amazed.

Daiyu walked around the carriage and then asked Jia Lian, "Brother Lian, I heard that the knowledge of growing vegetables in winter was only known in the palace. How come you can grow them too?"

"Any old farmer can grow vegetables, but the difficulty lies in temperature and sunlight. The heated kang in the palace doesn't have enough sunlight, so the vegetables won't grow as well as this. I just tried it, but I didn't expect it to work."

"Brother Lian just likes to be modest! That's easy for him to say, but I've never seen other families grow such fresh and juicy vegetables in winter."

Jia Min, who had heard the news, saw Daiyu circling around Jia Lian and talking happily, and her heart suddenly sank. Even a fool could see that Daiyu liked Jia Lian, so she couldn't let her be his mistress, right?

If Daiyu were to marry someone else, she would be in danger. Would the family have to support an old maid? Knowing her daughter's character, Jia Min was troubled.

Lin Ruhai, who was on duty, was naturally very happy to see that Jia Lian still had a cart of vegetables, but his mind was on other things, and he quickly pulled Jia Lian to the study to discuss.

Daiyu personally brought in tea and stayed away, sitting aside to listen. The little girl was extremely smart and had a high level of understanding. Lin Ruhai couldn't help but sigh in his heart, it was a pity that she was a girl.

"Since the establishment of the inspection team, the prestige of the Inspectorate has been greatly enhanced, and it is almost superior to the six ministries. Seeing it thriving, I am a little worried. Although the inspection team is impressive, it is also likely to offend people. If something goes wrong due to someone's trick, I'm afraid all the civil and military officials in the court will rise up to attack." Lin Ruhai is an experienced official, and he knows that people's hearts are treacherous. He is afraid that the people below will lose their heads and implicate the Inspectorate.

Jia Lian couldn't help shaking his head and said, "I advise you to worry more about the inspection team being bribed by local officials and gentry after they go down, and then collude with them to bring disaster to the people. Your Majesty is still determined to rectify the administration of officials, and it won't change in the next ten or eight years. There is no movement on the cabinet additions now, so you don't have to worry. There are too many things that your majesty is dissatisfied with in this cabinet. At the beginning, your majesty ordered the three cabinet ministers to serve as governors in the local areas, intending to prevent chaos in the local areas first, which would lead to the rebellion inside and outside. Now the rebellion has fled far away, and it will only be two years before the three cabinet ministers return to Beijing."

Knowing that Lin Ruhai was still thinking about entering the cabinet, Jia Lian told him not to worry. In terms of age, Lin Ruhai was only in his early forties. Now that he was in good health, there was no need to worry.

It was the first time that Lin Ruhai heard someone look at the three ministers' exile in this way, and he was slightly shocked. Now that he thought about it carefully, it was really the case.

At that time, Northwest Huguang were in chaos and needed ministers to take charge, while the gentry in Liangjiang were causing trouble and needed an iron-fisted cabinet minister to bleed the gentry.

The place most likely to become chaotic did not end up being chaotic, but Shandong was in chaos for a while.

"In that case, there is no need to rush. It's just that it's hard to figure out what to do next, Your Majesty." Lin Ruhai decided to seek Jia Lian's opinion. This kid is very good at guessing the emperor's intentions!

"During the reign of the Emperor, in order to secure his throne, he made too many concessions to his ministers and gentry. This is the root cause of the court's decline. The current emperor wants to change the situation, and refreshing the administration is the first step, followed by rectification of the local areas. At the same time, outward development is also what Your Majesty wants to do. While the population of the Great Zhou, which has been peaceful for a hundred years, has increased rapidly, land annexation has intensified. If we don't find a way to change it now, another round of order and chaos will occur in a hundred years. The current emperor is quite ambitious and wants to build a Great Zhou that will last for thousands of years. I will not admit these words when I leave the house."

Analyzing the emperor's character is actually a very taboo thing.

"So, the situation of the two princes running side by side will continue for a while." Lin Ruhai believed that Jia Lian would not lie to him. "That's natural. The queen gave birth to two princes, and the future throne will definitely be given priority to these two. If you rush to get close now, aren't you hoping that the emperor will die soon? Will His Majesty be happy if he knows? Keep your troops in place and be kind to others when you come into contact. In short, I don't plan to bet in advance."

Jia Min came in and called for dinner. Lin Ruhai, who was still not satisfied, gestured for the meal to be sent to the study, and the two of them ate and chatted.

After Jia Lian said goodbye and went home, Jia Min helped Lin Ruhai, who had drunk a lot, to rest. She couldn't help but sighed, "My husband and my second brother also had such a pleasant conversation in the past."

Lin Ruhai leaned against the head of the bed and shook his head: "It's different. I get along with my second brother because of his bookish temperament. Lian Ge'er is different. Many things seem reckless, but in fact he sees things clearly. If the present wants to reform, this move is naturally difficult. Your Majesty needs some people to charge forward. Lian Ge'er can always play a role at the critical moment. My second brother is good at talking, but he is not as good as Lian Ge'er in other aspects."

Jia Min was silent for a while and said, "That's true. My second brother was a fifth-rank official when he first entered the officialdom. After all these years, he is only a regular fifth-rank official. It's really because of his personal reasons."

Lin Ruhai said, "I wrote to my second brother many times, asking him to be sent out. Even if he was transferred back to the capital after ten or eight years, he would be promoted to the fifth rank after all the hard work, right?"

Jia Min was speechless. When it comes to enduring hardships, Jia Zheng is really not good enough. Looking at Jia Lian again, leading troops to war is not just about enduring hardships, it is about risking one's life.

The Jia family's banner in the military was raised again, and it was Jia Lian who carried it all alone.

It was already late when he returned home through the snow. Wang Xifeng came in with concern and asked him about his well-being, "There are many things to do at the end of the year. When will you have a holiday?"

"The notice from above is that we have a holiday on the 26th. Let's make some arrangements tomorrow, and we will officially have a holiday the day after tomorrow." Jia Lian leaned comfortably in the chair. Ping'er squatted down to lift his feet and take off his boots, and Guixiang brought him some hot tea.

Looking at such a corrupt scene, Jia Lian couldn't refuse. If he really refused, Ping'er and Guixiang would probably not be able to sleep well at night.

Jia Lian was indeed a little tired. To conserve his energy, he drank a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Put away your gaze. Recently, I have no time to rest day or night. I sleep alone in the study at night."

Wang Xifeng was so angry that she raised her hand and hit him, scolding him with a smile: "What nonsense are you talking about? I didn't eat alone!"

After washing up, Jia Lian went to the study. When Xiren saw him coming out to greet him, she looked back and said, "Hello, Second Master. Why didn't the aunts follow you?"

Jia Lian snorted twice: "Untie the rope, you don't even hope that the Second Master will get better, you want to tire me to death? As the saying goes, there is no land that can be plowed to death, only cows that can be tired to death."

Jia Lian came in, and when he didn't see Xiangling warming the bed, he asked curiously, "Why are you alone?"

Xiren bolted the door expertly and pushed the lever. When she came back and heard Jia Lian's question, she quickly explained, "She said it was her mother's birthday, and she spent five taels of silver to prepare a feast. She won't be back that night."

Feng Shi's position in the Jia family is quite special. She considers herself as a subordinate, but Jia Lian does not treat her as a subordinate. In addition, because of Xiangling, Feng Shi is often excluded and used to being alone.

Jia Lian hummed and tried to get on the kang, but Xiren stopped him and said, "Second Master, wait a moment. Let me warm you up."

As she spoke, Xiren took off her coat and got on the kang. Jia Lian saw that she had a good figure from behind. No wonder Baoyu was tempted to have her be the first to have sex in the original novel.

Well, now that he is in my room, does that mean he is considered a yellow-haired person?

Actually, the room was heated by floor heating, so it wasn't too cold for the time being. Since the beginning of winter, Xiangling usually warmed the bed, and Xiren waited on her. When the concubines didn't come, they both slept here.

Xiangling doesn't fight or compete, as long as she is not squeezed out, Jia Lian is particularly fond of her character.

After a while, Xiren whispered, "Second Master, it's done!"

Jia Lian blew out the light and went to bed, his arms filled with warmth and fragrance, and he had no evil thoughts at all, and soon fell asleep.

Xiren, on the other hand, couldn't fall asleep for a while. The second master, who was asleep, had restless hands, making her body tense and loosen.

The next day, Jia Lian got up early and went to the yamen to arrange his holiday duty. Xiren helped him get dressed and sent him out the door. Then she came back and quickly got on the kang with her underwear to change out of her cold clothes.

Wang Xifeng added a new daily activity, sending Jia Lian to work and meeting Jia's mother first when she came back. As the granddaughter-in-law of the housekeeper, she must uphold filial piety and not hinder Jia Lian's career.

Just after entering Lady Jia's courtyard and greeting each other, the gatekeeper came in and said, "The imperial concubine from the palace has sent someone."

Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang hurriedly stood up and led a group of ladies to greet them. As soon as they arrived in the yard, the eunuch flashed behind the screen and stepped forward quickly when they met them: "I am just a running dog in front of the imperial concubine, and I am not worthy of being greeted by the old lady." Having said that, Grandmother Jia still insisted on bringing people to pay their respects, as this was for Yuanchun.

The eunuch quickly stated his purpose. Emperor Chenghui and Empress Zhou both gave him some New Year's goods as gifts. Yuanchun picked out some items that did not violate any taboos and asked the eunuch to deliver them to the Jia family.

As a mother, Mrs. Wang stepped forward to accept the "reward" of New Year's goods, thanked Empress Yuanchun in the palace again and again, and asked someone to slip a silver note of one hundred taels to the eunuch. Only then did the eunuch go back to report with a smile on his face.

"Ah, Your Majesty, the same thing. There is no shortage of food and daily necessities at home, so why ask someone to send these things over?" Mrs. Wang turned around and couldn't help but pretend to be something, otherwise she would suffocate to death.

Grandmother Jia echoed, "It's really not easy to be alone in the palace. I'll ask someone to bring some silver back."

Wang Xifeng was very unhappy, but she had nothing to say. She couldn't send gifts to the palace every quarter, right?

There was no way out for the time being, so Wang Xifeng stood aside, listening to Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang singing the same tune, feeling secretly unhappy.

After a while, when Wang Xifeng was about to leave, another maid came in and said, "Someone's coming from the palace!"

Grandmother Jia and Mrs. Wang looked at each other, both a little confused. Why is there still something?

(End of this chapter)